marriage250x250Four important questions were asked of attorney Richard Hammar. Of these four, two are potentially significant to Christian schools:

  • Are the tax exemptions of religious schools and churches jeopardized by the Court’s ruling?
  • Church bylaws?

Hammar expresses that while “adding a marriage policy to a church’s bylaws is no guaranty of protection since it might be ignored by an activist court,” he does concede that “including a statement in a church’s bylaws defining marriage may be of some help should the church’s tax exemptions be challenged.”

John Cooley, general counsel for ILCS, agrees with Hammar that such marriage policies “should also be part of the employee handbook [for] all employees as a policy statement.”

In addition to the aforementioned, it is highly recommended that a school use language that establishes that an employee of a Christian school serves as a Christian role model “to include not only a role model for students, but for parents and the community at at large, since employees are teaching by lifestyle as well – to all three.”

It is also important to reference any biblical basis for the policy. Citing specific book, chapter and verse gives the deepest definition to policy but also demonstrates that the Bible is our supreme and sole authority for all we believe.

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